Background.
b. 1930 approx. 30 miles north of Manchester, GB.
1949 General education completed in preparation for a career in medicine.
1949-51 National Service, (RAMC) 18 months of which spent in Hong Kong. A change of direction, career-wise, ensued.
1951-52 Period of reflection, whilst working in the family textile business.
1952-54 Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, Wiltshire, following a general course in the visual arts, with English, music and drama, leading to the status of qualified teacher.
1954-55 Awarded a third year at B.A.A. for a supplementary course, specialising in painting, with further studies in sculpture and music.
1955-67 Head of Art in various secondary schools in Wiltshire and Devon. Married, in 1956, to Brenda Nash, also an ex-B.A.A. student. Continued painting. Founder member of the then Torbay Art Group and organising Arts Council exhibitions in the area.
Exhibited:
Torbay: Torre Abbey 1958 & 1960 with the Torbay art group.
London: New Art Centre 1959 inaugural exhibition.
Exeter: City Art Gallery & Museum 1965 Devon Art Teachers' Exhibition.
1967-68 University of Manchester. One-year course in the disciplines of education. (Educational Psychology, Social-Psychology of Education, Philosophy of Education and Statistics of Education. Awarded the Diploma in Advanced Studies in Education.
1968-70 Head of Art in two secondary schools with the Stockport Authority.
1971-79 Head of Art and Design, lecturing in establishments of Further Education with the Avon Authority. Member of an academic board.
1979 In December, came to live in France with my wife and 22 y/o son.
1980 We created a business in the property services field on the Côte d Azur, catering for multiple and expanding needs of secondary-home owners of many different nationalities.
1990 Sold the business and premises, taking early French retirement. Brenda and I bought a country property deep in the Armagnac region of the Gers, in S.W. France.
The tranquillity of the environment triggered my return to painting, and my wifes work in collage/découpage.
1992 On the 11th April, Brenda died suddenly of a heart attack...
Our son, Nick, re-joined me after having spent nearly two years based in the U.K
Painting 'Paysage apres innondation' 1992 (Private collection)
1993-97 Continued painting. Nick started to paint and to write his first book.
Apart from being a necessity, cooking, for me, became a continuing passion.
1997- present. Sold the property in the Gers and moved to the Haut Languedoc region of the Herault, at the eastern end of the Montagne Noire.
In 2000 we converted part of our present home into a small Atelier d Art or gallery, opened in 2001.
I continue to paint and Nick concentrates on his writing and numerous other activities.
